Appetite?

OK so my biggest problem is food. I just love it so much and I eat tons. Mostly portion control. So my question is how do you control that? I mean what foods will make good snacks while still tasting good? Or any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I tried the water thing where someone told me that most of the time it's just thirst but that didn't work for me at all.

Chewing more helps too. You feel a bit foolish, but if you chew each piece of food at least thirty times before swallowing, you'll feel sated sooner. It's because your brain thinks "Wow, that took a lot of chewing. It'll be hard to digest. I won't put too much more in."

The chap is just wodering how to get his fill on in an appropriate way though, I hear that. I'm much the same, have a decent body but for almost a year now, have had to stop eating the way I used to. It's no easy task and I think moreover wanting to look better with regards to your body, it starts with looking up and reading about fitness and nutrition and how they will work best for the type of person you are.

Compared to what I like to eat, I barely eat anything I love during the week besides Fridays and Sundays. Other than that, too bad for me.

How cynical! if you didn't have a pic I would assume that there is an overweighted man behind this thread!!

you know, I have the opposite problem .. I juat don't have appetite but I force myself to eat bitween meals ..so if eating tons of food doesn't harm you yet then don't start to worry about it ...other people envy you for eating that much and yet still looking that good ...

Err it was just a question, not trying to complain. I know that I could be better if I had advice and one of the reasons I signed up for this site was to get advice from other people who are successful. No matter how much you read sometimes the best advice is from another person. So in response to people who think I'm being lame, your probably the lame one and I will continue to grow while you stay stagnant and wonder why you aren't getting anywhere. To those who gave advice on a mature level thank you.

i have to say, i think it is a great question. That is why america is FAT... Try that again... America is Fat. i have always been the skinny kid. 32 waste my entire life. i hit 31 and BAM 35" waist. portion control has helped so much in my last 8 months...

Thanks for the advice guys...I needed to hear this...I, like him (the guy who posted this question), was soooooo having problems with portion control and appetite problems...I always fail and end up putting waht I lost back on. any other advice to share?

I can totally see where tanktime is coming from. Currently, I pretty much have to eat everything in sight to keep what weight I've gained. However I'm really concerned about what is going to happen when my metabolism slows down when I'm used to eating 5 large meals a day.

Google on satiety. That'll give you an understanding on how satiation works.

The short: drink plenty of water with your meal (it has volume), eat the carbs first (your blood sugar will start coming up right away), approach the meal you're eating that you're only going to eat half of it (and take the rest home in a box). Don't let your blood sugar get so low that your "famished", "starved", or the like. You'll overeat, for sure, then. If your diet is to LOW in carbs, and you let your blood sugar fall to low, you'll gobble down food like there's no tomorrow. It ends up being a common sense 101 thing, if you think about it for a few minutes.

Fat folks don't get fat; ripped people don't get ripped overnight. Understand, you need to look at things in terms of weeks and months, when you think on this.

Here in Dallas, portion sizes are huge. Texas is the land of excess...everything: excess food, excess waste, excess religion, and so on. Take whatever it is if you're eating out, and cut it in half.

I go to the buffet, almost daily, but I don't eat any fried food there (well, maybe a shrimp or three). I eat stir-fry shrimp, sushi, veggies, rice, more raw stuff.

Remember, eating is a function, and not medication.

Don't be afraid to eat 1/2 browny. Just don't eat the whole pan. A little indulgence is GOOD.

As recently as 8 weeks from my last show, I got to the point where my body was screaming for fat. I finally said, I gotta' have some cheeseburgers (I never eat that crap). I sat down, I ate five cheeseburgers (Quarter Pounders, actually). I got up the next day, and looked, and felt, like a million bucks. Sometimes, you have to just listen to your body, too. My training was re-energized after those five burgers. It, apparently was exactly what I needed to get my body to begin to give up even more fat (see the picture of my legs?)

Once you get to 28 or so, your androgen levels decline, and it becomes much easier to get fat, and harder to keep muscle, recover, and stay lean. That's why anti-aging has become so popular.

At your current spot, and being as thin as you are, I wouldn't get to caught in the weight management game. Listen to your body. It'll tell you what you need. Just don't eat lots of sugary, fried stuff, and view food as a function you perform about every 3 hours.

Bouncing your sugar around will make you binge for sure. Contest mode, I only eat sugar post workout on the glycogen load.

A lot of fat folks eat upside down. Don't do that. Do breakfast like a king, dinner like a prince, and supper like a pauper. Again, a common sense thing, you've been sleeping for hours, and it's time to eat.

GHoSTa saidHow cynical! if you didn't have a pic I would assume that there is an overweighted man behind this thread!!

you know, I have the opposite problem .. I juat don't have appetite but I force myself to eat bitween meals ..so if eating tons of food doesn't harm you yet then don't start to worry about it ...other people envy you for eating that much and yet still looking that good ...

I have the EXACT same problem. I've been told by many that if I want to build muscle, eating a lot of food really helps push this process along. I don't really have a big appetite and it is difficult to really keep up with it.

I agree with some of the guys, your eating habits are OBVIOUSLY not hurting your body.

You have the right idea though, portion control is the key. If you are working out and burning the calories then it doesn't seem to be a problem.

To maximize your snacking try to get snacks higher in protein, lower in fat. Things like nuts, whole grains, fruits, and veggies! I have a huge bag of almonds in my desk that i constantly grab for, surprisingly they really fill you up!

Most veggies are safe. If you want more flavor, dip them in balsamic vinegar. You can eat a bag of carrots this way without worrying too much about extra calories. If you're REALLY worried, then celery, but I find it waaay too boring. Cucumber and tomato salads with basil and balsamic vinegar also work well, and are delicious. I like those because they feel like food, you have to eat it with a fork and everything. If you do want some mass to that snack, add some cheese.

Veggies and fruit like apples are also good because the act of eating them takes enough time and effort to help distract your body.

Oh, right, warm liquid also helps your body "feel" full, so warm tea for instance. Stewed tomatoes with a bit of cheese melted over works well too. Warm, you have to eat it, tasty, and you can control the amount of calories by measuring out the cheese.

After I went a month without any direct source of proteins, my body took to a mix of seeds & nuts: almond slices, dried chopped walnuts, pumpkin seeds, shelled sunflower seeds, and sesame crisps. I don't eat too much of it: 3/4 of a cup at a time by chance, because it's high nutrional content and I chew each mouth full sufficeintly.

I also have a seperate mix of dried fruits: mango, papaya, pineapple and banana slices. Paired with V8 - I love any V8 - this is a good way of getting part of fruit servings into my day.

Another thing is eating fruits and vegetables on the side as snacks, instead of chocolate or anything too guilitifing!

But, if you've been good and have gone a long time without splurging you should allow yourself a real treat. Usually make the treat's portion relative to the time I've gone since my last 'indulgence'.

Like one week would equal a single piece of twix, or two of a kitkat, freeze the rest. Two weeks would be a a whole candy bar, and would grow reasonably week to week; to every other week at best, from their. I plan on my next comforting self indulgence to either be homemade spicy mac and chef, or chow fun noodles from a local Chinese restaurant! About 4 or 5 months of resistance for me, but I'm being hard on myself. But it's worth the long awaited encentive.